Placques for confectionery machines



Jan. 17, 1956 M. M. GUGGENHEIM 2,731,134

} PLACQUES FOR CONFECTIONERY MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 2, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

12 13 7'4 i10 Gllggmkevm/ i I20 I United States Patent D PLACQUES FORCONFECTIONERY MACHINES Max M. Guggenheim, New York, N. Y., assignor toNational Equipment Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Original application February 2, 1951, Serial No. 209,126,

now Patent No. 2,704,519, dated March 22, M55. Divided and thisapplication November 9, 1954, Serial No. 467,713

Claims. (Cl. 198--108) This invention has reference to machines formaking candy or confectionery and more particularly the means by whichthe candies or confections are carried or conveyed for a substantialdistance to enable the same to cool or set before being packed in boxesor other containers.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No.209,l26, filed February 2, 1951 and now Patent No. 2,794,519. 1

in machines of this character the candies are conveyed from an enroberor coating machine and are received upon a flexible sheet referred to inthe trade as a placque, the placque being carried by a tray which ismoved by chains through a lengthy and tortuous path within an enclosurein which the temperature is maintained at a suitable low degree tofacilitate cooling and hardening of the candies.

At the end of its travel, each tray is arranged to have the plaque whichit carries, as well as the candies borne by the placque, moved from offthe tray. The candies which leave the placque, and which are at thistime hardened or set, are carried off on a conveyor belt adjacent to apacking table where they are removed and packed in boxes. The placquefrom which the candies have been removed, and which has been strippedfrom off its tray, is moved downwardly and thence rearwardly to theentrance end of the machine where it isagain brought up to receiveanother supply of candies and then moved to a position upon another traywhich again carries the placque through the cycle as above described.

it is an object of the invention to provide an improved placqueconstruction; to provide means on each tray for easily engaging a rod atthe forward end of the placque to thereby position the placque on thetray and maintain the same properly positioned thereon during the travelof the tray, yet permit ready separation of the placque from the tray atthe outlet end of the machine without requiring a lifting movement ofthe placque.

in the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a tray with a placque supported on thesame;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tray;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one end of a placque showing the rodcarried by the same, and the means on the tray for engaging the rod tohold the same in position on the tra Fig. 4 is a sectional view, takensubstantially on the line 5-4; of Fig. 3, looking in the direction ofthe arrows;

Fig. 5 is a view of the structure of Pig. 4, looking at the same fromthe right;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through one end of the placqueand the rod carried by the same;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through mechanism at the outlet endof the machine, showing the rod on the placque in position to be engagedby conveyor chains and stripped from the tray; and

Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing the placque partly 2,731,134 PatentedJan. 17, 1956 stripped from the tray; the candies being moved from theplacque onto a conveyor belt and the placque being moved downwardlypreparatory to movement to the forward or inlet end of the machine.

In a machine of the type in which the improved placque is employed,candies or confections are coated or enrobed with a chocolate or othercoating by means of an enrober and said coated candies are then receivedfrom the chain or link conveyor of the enrober upon a moving placque 3,the moving placque being at this time supported on a plate. The candiespassing from the conveyor to the placque, are received on the placque asthe same is travelling toward a tray generally indicated at 4 in Figs.1, 7 and 8, the construction of which is disclosed in Fig. 1. The tray 4is also moving in the same direction as the placque, but the placque ismoved at a greater speed than the tray and overtakes the tray and isdeposited thereon and thereafter the placque and tray are moved togetheras a unit until they become separated at the location where the candiesare removed from the placque.

The placque is composed of a sheet of flexible material, such as fabric,plastic or even heavy paper and the construction of one of the placquesis more clearly seen in Figs. 1 to 6. The flexible body 5 of the placqueis of a size to enable it to almost completely cover the top 6 of thetray 4, and at its forward end the sheet or body 5 of the placgue 3 isattached by the rivets 8 to a transversely-extending flat metal strip 7which extends for the width of the sheet 5. Said strip maintains thesheet flatly and smoothly and is provided at its forward edge with anoverturned flange 9 which takes over the forward flanged edge of achannel strip that encloses a substantial portion of a transverse rod llas well as a part of the placque 3. Rivets 13 extending through thestrips 7 and lid and through the rod securely maintain the rod in place,with the opposite end portions 12 of the rod 11 extending well beyondthe longitudinal edges of the sheet 5 as cl arly seen in Figs. 7 and 9.The location of the rod within a channel strip in, with flange of thestrip extending forwardly and stiffening the forward edge of theplacque, holds the front end of the placque against folding or curlingunder the body of the placque during travel and use of the placgue. Thecurled or overturned flange provides a protective element for the frontend of the placque.

The trays which support the placques and the confections carriedthereon, are of the construction shown in Fi s. 1 and 3, wherein it willbe noted that each tray is provided with the two longitudinal side bars14 of angular shape in cross-section, said side bars being maintained inthe desired spaced relation by means of the spaced cross-pieces 15. Thecross-pieces 15, which may be channel-shape in cross-section, areattached to the body or flat plate 6 of the tray.

At the forward end of each tray and on the longitudinal side bars 14thereof, are the retaining elements 16 for the placque. Each of theseretaining elements 16 consists of a block 17 formed with a channel orslot 18 extending through it, said channel or slot flaring as shown at19 at its entry end to facilitate the ready admission of the ends 12 ofthe rod 11 of the placque into the slot. Two springpressed lockingelements 2%; are provided in each of the slots l3, said locking elementspermitting the rod-ends 12 to be readily forced into the slot andthereafter become located between them to hold the placque againstinadvertent shifting movement on the tray until it is desired to removethe placque from the tray in a manner to be later described.

Each of the trays carrying a placque with the candies thereon is movedthrough a lengthy path of travel by conveyor chains 21 to which eachtray is connected at a central point by the lugs 22 fastened to the sidebars 14 of 3 the tray. .Atits opposite ends .each of the side bars 14 isprovided with guide pins .23 which engage rails (not shown) but servingto maintain the trays and their contents horizontal or'level during allphases of travel of the trays.

The tray 4 carrying a placqueS in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3wherein the end portions 12 of the rod 11 are located between thelocking elements Zll, is moved through a relatively lengthy and tortuouspath of travel through a cooling chamber and finally is broughttdownwardly to the position shown in Fig. 7.

As the placque and tray continue their downward movement, the rod 11 ofthe placque contacts with cam plates 120 which engage behind the endportions 12 of the rod and tend to hold the rod and placque whilereverse movement of the tray in the direction of the arrow 99 disengagesthe rods from the retainers 16, and maintains the rod in position tobecome engaged by the lugs 44 on chains 45 which draw the placquedownwardly while the candies are moved from the placque onto a conveyorbelt 79 (Figs. 7 and 8) to the packing table where the same are packedin boxes.

As the rod 11 becomes thus engaged by the cams 120 and held at a pointof engagement by the lugs 44, the tray begins its return movement to theleft as indicated by the arrow 9), and this causes the retainers 16 tobe pulled from off the rod 11 which is then held by the cams 12h in theproper position for engagement by the lugs 44 of the chain 45 to drawthe placque downwardly, as shown in Fig. 8.

From the foregoing, the operation of the apparatus will now be readilyunderstood. The candies issuing from the enrober are carried'therefromon a conveyor and are received from said conveyor on the placque 3. Theplacque 3 carrying the candies continues its movement toward the right,until it overtakes the moving tray and is coupled to the tray by theengagement of its rod 11 in the retainers 16 and brought to rest on topof the tray. The tray and placque carried thereon, and now moved as aunit, are then elevated and carried by suitable conveying means througha cooling chamber and then brought downwardly as indicated by the arrow42 (Pig. 7) to a point where the .rod ill. on the placque is engaged bythe lugs 44 on the chains 4-5 and drawn from tl e retainers 16 on thetray. The candies are then directed from the placque to the belt '79 andthe placque is drawn downwardly past the edge 76 of the plate 77, theplate "77 having been moved to its closed position shown in Fig. 8 andrelative to guide piece 7 8 after the rod on the placque has been movedpast it.

It will be noted that the engagement of the ends of the placque rod withtheretainers 16 on the tray, as well as the disengagement of the rodfrom these elements, is done by straight-line movement of the rod andwithout lifting movement of the rod. Candies borne by the placque areoften soft and must not be subjected to shocks in order to preventdistortion or misshaping of the .candies. Hence, the elevating anddropping movement of the forward end of a candy-bearing placque, as hasbeen done by prior constructions, is completely avoided by the describedstructure.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that thesame is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover allstructures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

1. in a machine of the character described, a movable tray, retainingmeans at one end of the same, said re taining means having slots open atboth ends, a placque having a rod extending across it at its forwardend, said rod having end portions for reception in the slots through oneend of the same and for exit out of the opposite end, and spring detentsin spaced relation in the slots for engagingthe ends of the rod betwenthem and retaining the same in the slots.

2. In a machine of the character described, means for separating aplacque from a suporting tray comprising retaining means on the tray,said retaining means having open-ended slots, the slots being flared atone end, a placque having a rod provided with end portions for entrythrough the flared ends and into the slots, spring detents in spacedrelation in the slots for removably retaining the ends of the rods inthe slots, and cam means for engaging behind the end portions of the rodand holding the placque against movement while the tray is moved awayfrom the placque and the end portions of the rod are moved out of theslots through ends of the slot remote from the flared ends through whichrods were initially entered.

3. In a machine of the character described, a placque comprising aflexible sheethaving a rod extending across it near one of its ends,plates secured to the sheet and extending transversely across theplacque and embracing the rod between them, said plates having flangedforward edges extending to the forward edge of the placque sheet, one ofthe flanges being bent over the forward edge of the other flange, andthe rod having end portions extending beyond the side edges of theplacque sheet.

4. .In a placque as provided for in claim 3, wherein one of the platesis flat and the other plate is channel-shaped in cross-section, and theportion of the placque sheet which extends between the plates is partlyextended around the rod, and fastening elements extending through therod and through the plates.

5. In a machine of the character described, a placque having a rodextending across one end, the rod having ends projecting beyond the sideedges of the placque, a tray on which the placque is deposited, the trayhaving side walls provided near one end with channeled blocks facilitateentry of one of the ends of the rod into said slot,

one of the walls of the slot being provided with a pair of springdetents between which an end of the rod becomes positioned when the rodis entered into the slot.

6. In a machine as provided for in claim 5, wherein the pair of springdetents is provided on the upper wall of the slot, with one of thedetents being positioned near the flared end of the slot and the otherdetent located adjacent to the opposite end of the slot, the detentsbeing spaced sufficiently far apart to permit of the entry of an end ofthe rod between them.

7. In a placque, a flexible sheet constituting the body of the placque,a stiff strip extending transversely of the sheet adjacent to one end ofthe same and across the opposite face of the sheet and disposedco-extensively with the strip, a rod located between the strip andchannel member and between a portion of the sheet and strip, andfastening means for securing the strip, the channel memher and the rodtogether in the relationship described, said fastening means includingelements extending through the rod.

8. In a placque as provided for in claim 7, wherein the means forsecuring the channel member, strip and rod together, includes a curledflange projecting integrally from the strip and extending over an edgeof the channel member and forming a protective forward edge for the bodyof the placque.

9. In a machine of the character described, a placquesupporting trayhaving its side walls provided near one end with channelled blocks, aplacque for reception on top of said tray, said placque having a rod atone end, each of said blocks being provided with a horizontallyextendingslot open at both of its ends so that the ends of the rod can enterthrough one end of each slot and be moved out through the opposite endof the slot, the inlet end of the slot being .fiared to facilitate entryof the placque rod into the slot, one of the walls of the slot beingprovided with a pair of spring detents between 'which'an end of'the'rod-becomes positioned when the rod is engaged in the slot, andmeans for causing movement of the rod ends into and out of the slotswithout applying a lifting movement to said rod ends.

10. In a machine as provided for in claim 9, wherein the pair of springdetents is provided on the upper wall of the slot, with one of thedetents being located near the flared entrance end of the slot and theother detent located near the opposite open end of the slot, the detentsbeing 6 spaced sufiiciently far apart to permit of the entry of the endof the placque rod between them, the detents preventing inadvertentmovement of the placque rod out of either open end of the slot, butpermitting movement of the rod out of the exit end of the slot withoutrequiring lifting movement of the rod.

No references cited.

